Vehicles such as aircraft are often provided with exterior access openings in order to allow service personnel to access interior components for, without limitation, inspection, maintenance and/or adjustment. These access openings may be located in aerodynamic exterior surfaces, and therefore may be plugged with covers that are preferably as flush as possible with the skin of the aircraft in order to reduce turbulent airflow over the opening.
Known covers for access openings in aircraft structures may include a plug having a separately installed sleeve which may render this type of plug difficult to install multiple applications with differing surface contours. Another type of known plug employs glue to hold the plug in the opening, however these glued plugs may not be easily removed, and may require cleaning and the use of additional glue during reinstallation.
Accordingly, there is a need for an access opening plug that is adapted for use with structures having a variety of contours, and which is self-retaining in the opening, without the use of glue. There is also a need for a plug of the type mentioned above which may be easily and quickly removed and reinstalled entirely from one side of the opening.